


Leap Year

by QueenXIV



Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Aidan is just excited for everything, Dean is a romantic soul, Dublin - Freeform, Established Relationship, Gay, Ireland, Leap Year Movie Based, Leap Year Tradition, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rating May Change, Richard and James are great friends, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2062551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenXIV/pseuds/QueenXIV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Ireland they have this tradition that once every four years, on leap year, a woman can propose to a man on leap day. Well, it's an entirely stupid tradition and I'm in a gay relationship so there is no woman... But... Well, I miss Aidan, and he is in Dublin and... </p><p>Maybe it's not so stupid after all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is... Not my first Aidean story but it is the first one I'm posting so, be kind please! Well, recently I saw the movie Leap Year and gosh, it did inspire me. It's no exactly based in the film, because the girl (in this case guy, 'cause it's Dean) doesn't end up with the one who drives him/her to Dublin. Yup, yup. So, well, enough said. Just that I hope you love it and I love Ireland, I've been there this summer and I want to live there and have sheep!

I stared at the beer morosely, drawing invisible things on the table with my finger, a pout on my lips. Maybe I was exaggerating but I really felt miserable without his curls or his brown eyes, his dreamy expression and his loud laugh… God, I was really stupid sometimes but I guess that’s what love does to you. 

“Hey man, you’re really down, aren’t you?” Emmett asked, sitting down with a pint on his hand. He noticed that I had yet to touch mine. He frowned and squeezed my shoulder sympathetically. “Missing your curly haired Irish boyfriend, ain’t ya?” Laughed my former cast mate in The Almighty Johnsons. 

“A lot.” I sighed, looking up at him. He just smiled and sipped his beer with a hum, like he was really enjoying it. “Everything reminds me of him…” I continued. “For example, the beer, it always reminds me of him ‘cause he loves it, you know? He’s Irish after all… And the pubs, god, everytime I see a pub I can actually hear him asking to go inside. And those curls… He left his special hair conditioner for curly hair and there it is… Untouched… The sheets still smell like him…” 

“Dude! It’s been two weeks and you haven’t even changed the sheets?” I shook my head, with a small smile. “Gross, dude, just gross.” 

“Shut up. I can at least smell him even if he’s not there.” I mumbled. 

“I bet you had sex your last night and they are still gross from it.” 

“You bet we did. Three rows at least, we had. Gosh… I miss him so much…” 

“Again, gross, dude.” I just snorted and punched his arm jokingly. “Anyways, why don’t you go and see him?” 

“In Ireland?” 

“No, China, duh. Of course it’s Ireland dude. He’s the one who always comes here, it would be pretty nice if you went there like ‘Surprise, honey bear!’” 

“I don’t call him honey bear.” I muttered. 

“Don’t try to fool me, O’Gorman, I heard you once. And don’t change subject.” 

“I’ve never actually been to Ireland, I’ve been to Great Britain like a thousand times but never Ireland…” I said, caressing my chin. 

“Then it’s time for you to go and pay a visit to your ancestors! And anyways, how time have you been together?” Emmett asked, putting down his bear and crossing his arms. 

“Two years, since the beginning of the filming of The Hobbit, why?” I leaned on my elbow, resting my head in my hand. He smiled wickedly at me and tapped the table. 

“Well, it’s nearly February 29th, you know, leap year.” He chanted. I raised and eyebrow and shook my head. 

“Yeah, and…?” 

“You don’t know the story?” He asked me surprised. I shook my head. “Well, there’s an Irish tradition that says that on the 29th of February, in Ireland, women propose to their men. It was the only day they were allowed to do it many years ago. Or so says the legend.” 

“Ahm… So, what you are proposing here is that, just because I miss him, I go to Ireland and on 29th of February, propose to him?” After saying it out loud, it didn’t sound half as bad or crazy as thinking it. After all, I had thought about marrying Turner before and yeah, we had sometimes talked about how our wedding would be but always jokingly. And what really scared me was his answer. I loved him, with all my heart, and he knew it and I knew it and everybody knew it, I wouldn’t hesitate to marry him, but he… I didn’t know what he would say. He sure loved me, he proved it to me a hundred of time but… Marrying was an entirely different subject. If it went well it would be for life. FOR LIFE. And although the idea scared me a bit it was most exciting than anything. 

“Yeah man! Wouldn’t it be awesome? Come on, we all know you will end up married with two adopted kids.” 

“Two precisely.” 

“Yeah, Anders and John O’Gorman Turner.” After saying the words he started laughing like a madman. I just scowled at him but inside I was laughing at the joke. Yeah, that would be our sons’ names, totally. I could almost hear Aidan laughing at the joke. 

“WAIT!” I shouted, half of the bar turning to look at us, but they quickly returned to their things. “You told me the women are supposed to propose this day, are you implying that I’m a woman or something?” 

“You are a gay couple, of course you’re not a woman. I don’t care if you top or if you bottom or even if you switch, I just said it because it would be really cool if you did it.” Emmett explained, chugging his beer down. I laid my head down on my arms and huffed loudly. 

“What day is today?” I asked, my voice muffled by my arm. 

“Twenty-five of February.” 

“And leap day is 29… I HAVE FOUR FREAKING DAYS!” 

“Well, it’s nearly five o’clock so you technically don’t even have three and a half days to get to Ireland, buy a ring and propose to your lovely Irishman.”

I got up of the table and started running to the door. I could feel Emmett’s stare at my back and I could almost imagine him gaping at me, but I didn’t have time. 

“Dean! You have to pay the beer!” He screamed, his voice annoyed yet amused.

“You pay this time! If this goes well, I will buy you hundreds of pints!” 

Six hours later I found myself on a plane, a long journey waiting for me. My destination: Dublin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo sorry for the delay, I just didn't have any inspiration or time!! I went to London and I got to see Richard and I got an autograph and a photo with him and oh gosh it was amazing his voice is amazing and he smells so good and well that's it :) Okay, now, in this chapter a town's name is mentioned, Annestown, honestly, I've never been to it and I just picked it cause it was in a convenient place, please, if anyone's from there don't get offended, I'm sure it's a lovely town just like Ireland itself!:)

I was finally on the last plane and just in an hour we would be landing in Dublin, still two and a half days ahead of me to prepare everything I needed for the proposal: The best restaurant, buy the ring and the best hotel to spend the night (not sleeping of course…). I grinned, looking down at the sea that extended below us. I hadn’t been able to sleep during the different plane journeys, too nervous, I had even written a speech to say to Aidan when I proposed but after reading it a hundred times I decided it was too sappy and threw it away. 

“So, travelling in business or pleasure?” The woman beside me asked, a smile in his mouth and blushing slightly. It was the first time someone spoke to me in a plane. 

“Ahm, pleasure.” 

“Oh, alone?” The woman was clearly Irish, and she raised one eyebrow and smirked. 

“Yeah, going to surprise my boyfriend. I’m going to propose to him on Leap Day.” 

She gaped for a moment before giving me a strained smile and nodding, turning her head away from me. I just smirked and stared at the small window again. It appeared that we were in the middle of a thunderstorm. I gripped my knees and furrowed my eyebrows. Suddenly the seatbelt light lit up and everybody gasped.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, there seems to be a big thunderstorm ahead and we ask you to put your seatbelt on for we might have some turbulence.” 

After two minutes the plane began shaking slightly, the woman beside me was practically terrorized and started gripping my arms tightly. I cursed under my breath, trying to free my arm from her. I was scared too, but I would like to have my arm in one piece when the journey was finished. 

After a few minutes of shaking softly the plane was practically beginning to go up and down, nearly all the passengers screaming and the woman beside me had started crying. I breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm myself. I’m not gonna die, I have to get engaged or at least see Aidan one last time. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are to be landing at Gatwick Airport in London, as it is the nearest airport and Dublin’s airport has been closed for bad weather.” 

“WHAT? NO!” I shrieked, the woman beside me staring at me with wide eyes. “I have to be in Dublin!”

“At least we are landing.” She sobbed. I scowled and finally freed my arm from her. 

“Yeah, but I am on a schedule, see? I only have two freaking days.” 

She just huffed and looked away, ignoring me for the fifteen minutes we had left until we landed on Gatwick. We were supposed to stay there until the weather was better and then we would be provided with connecting flights to Dublin. All the people took seats or just went to eat something, thanking god that they were alive but I paced, impatient, in front of the airline desk, waiting for someone to appear. 

“Can we help you, sir?” A young woman asked me, a kind smile on her face. 

“Yes, I need to get to Dublin.” 

“Dublin’s airport is closed.” 

I cursed and huffed, the young lady frowning at me. 

“Yes, well, when will it open?” 

“When the thunderstorm is over, sir. We will kindly provide you with a-”

“Connecting flight I know, but I need to know when will this be, because I need to be in Dublin.” 

“This usually last a day, so maybe tomorrow. But sorry, not today sir.” 

“Tomorrow? Oh hell!” I cursed loudly. 

I left the airport, my suitcase rolling behind me. I was in London, and luckily I knew people in London so… I just hoped the ferry still worked. I dialed Richard’s number, while staring outside of the big glass panels, tapping my foot nervously. 

“Richard speaking.” Richard’s deep voice came from the speaker, my heart 

“Richard, I’m Dean, look I need you to do me a favor.” 

“Hm, do tell.” 

“I need you to pick me up at Gatwick airport and take me to Cardiff.” 

“Cardiff.” Richard repeated, like he didn’t believe what I was saying. 

“Yeah, Cardiff.” 

“Why do you need to go to Cardiff?”

“Look, ahm… Can you do it?” 

“Yeah, of course.”

“Then I’ll explain it to you on our way there, is that okay?” 

Half an hour later I uploaded my suitcase on Richard’s car and we started to drive towards Cardiff. The rain was still pouring hard and I really hoped the skies would be clear at the other side of the island. Richard eyed me suspiciously, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Okay, I think that I deserve an explanation. We do have a three hour long journey ‘till we arrive and I don’t drive that long without a motive.”

“I’m your friend.” 

“More of a reason to know why you wanna go to Cardiff.” 

“To catch a ferry to Cork and then from Cork go to Dublin.” I explained nonchalantly, staring out of the window. I was embarrassed to explain what I really was going to do. Richard was too mature to understand my passion. 

“You’re going to see Aidan, eh?” He guessed, a smirk playing on his face. I glared at him yet blushed. 

“Yes.” 

“But, why the rush? I’m sure they would have gotten you a plane for tomorrow.” 

“It’s just… Leap day is in three days…” 

“Ah…Well technically two and a half but yeah… And?”

“Okay, this is really embarrassing.” I muttered. I rubbed my temples, Richard still staring at me concerned. “There’s this tradition in Ireland that on the 29th of February, on Leap Day, women propose to their boyfriends. So, what I am planning to do is… Propose to Aidan.” 

We stood in silence for a few minutes, Richard with a blank face staring at the road in front of him, but then he cracked a smile. 

“But you’re not a woman.” He stated, the smirk still there. I glared at him and clicked my tongue. 

“Thank you Richard, I didn’t know for sure.” 

He laughed, shaking his head. The man was making fun of me, I was sure of it. I would have smacked him but he was the one driving the car and I do wanted to live, at least until I proposed. 

“What I mean is that, why Leap Day?” 

“I don’t know! It’s romantic, okay?” I exclaimed, throwing my hands on the air. He just smiled at me and nodded. 

“Okay, okay, I get it, I do, really. I do appreciate romanticism too, you know? So, if you want to propose you got the ring and everything?” 

“No, that’s why I’m in a rush. I need to get to Dublin, get the ring and get the nicest restaurant in the city. I don’t know how I will do that but I will.” 

Richard stared at the road for a moment in silence, before opening his mouth, like he was going to say something, yet he closed it again and furrowed his eyebrows. I stared at the dark raincloud still hovering over us. An hour and ten horrible old songs later Richard spoke up. 

“I could help you, if you want.” He suggested, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. 

“Really? You would accompany me?” 

“Yeah, well, for now I got nothing better to do.” 

“Oh man! I would like that very much!” I exclaimed, trying to hug him but we nearly crashed into a stone wall so I quickly returned to my seat, the both of us cracking up. Two hours and a few more horrible songs later we arrived at Cardiff’s docks. But unlucky me, the storm was there too. 

I walked towards the information desk, soaked, with Richard trying to keep up with me. 

“Sorry, I would like a ticket to Cork.” 

“Ferry’s been canceled.” The guy said, a smile on his face. I glared at him, my eye twitching. 

“Do you have any idea of when it’s going to depart?” 

“No, sir. We don’t expect it will until tomorrow. The storm is pretty strong.” 

I grunted and stomped away from the desk, Richard sighing behind me. 

“I’m sorry.” He sighed, putting an arm around my shoulders. 

“I will get to Ireland, I will no matter what.” 

We sat in Richard’s car for over an hour, thinking of other ways to get to Ireland but none were good enough or fast enough. Stupid storm, stupid weather. Richard tried to keep me calm but my eye was still twitching nervously. 

“I just remembered…” He muttered, a frown in his face. 

“One of my high school friends live here in Cardiff, and he’s a fisher. I still keep in touch with him, maybe he could give us a lift.” 

An hour later and a lot of money in-between Richard and I were in a boat with his friend and two of his fellow fishermen on our way to Cork. Of course the weather was no better in the sea so the boat shook from side to side and the five of us were soaked to the bone. I feared for my suitcase but it was under a bench and safely wrapped in a plastic bag. 

“It will impossible to made it to Cork with this weather! We will have to stop at the nearest coast we can find!” Richard’s friend shouted at the top of his lungs to be heard over the thunderstorm. 

“But I paid for Cork!”

The fishermen and Richard glared at me so I decided not to argue with them and accept their decision. When we arrived at the Irish coast about five hours later the weather had calmed down a bit. It didn’t rain anymore but the sky was still grey and it was darkening. Luckily the lights of a small town could be seen not too far from where Richard and I landed. 

Without saying anything we started to walk towards the village. Not a single person could be seen out but few of the houses had their lights on already. Of course, being in Ireland, the town’s pub was open. I sighed when the warmth of the building met me, a small smile appearing on my face. Richard sighed appreciated too, closing the door behind him. 

The men sitting on the bar stool stared at us with raised eyebrows. It could be seen easily that they were not used to strangers. I smiled at them cheerfully and greeted them. They didn’t say anything; they just stared at us and then at each other. 

“American.” Said one. 

“No, Australian!” 

“I would say South African.” 

“Actually, I’m from New Zealand.” I cleared for them. “And he’s English. Now that this has been cleared up we wanted to ask you if there’s a bus service or train to Dublin?” 

“Oh, lad, you’re 20 years late for that!” An old man laughed, gulping his black beer. 

“Sorry?” Richard asked. 

“The last bus for Dublin left 20 years ago. And we’ve never had a train here.” 

I huffed and stared at Richard but he just suppressed a laugh and leaned on the wall behind him. 

“Right, then, hm, could we, maybe, find a taxi service? Could you tell us where we are?” 

“Yeah, you’re in Annestown.” 

“Right, is there any place where we could stay the night? Like and inn or bed and breakfast?” Richard asked. 

“Oh yeah, the owner of this place has an inn above! Aidan, come here!” 

My heart jumped at the familiar name and for a moment I expected Aidan to come out of the kitchen but of course he wouldn’t, what would he be doing here? Instead a young man, not as handsome as my Aidan, came out with a smile. 

“Oh, hey!” Richard and I nodded at him with a strained smile. 

“These lads here need a place to stay the nights, thought they could use your rooms.” 

“Aye, of course. Two separate rooms or one?” 

“Two rooms, if possible.” I clarified. The man nodded and gave us two sets of keys. 

“Right away, they’re in the first floor, well, it’s the only floor upstairs so... The bathroom is at the end of the hallway and each room costs 25 euros per night, if you need anything just ask.” He rambled, his Irish accent made it a bit hard to understand it all but we just nodded, to tired to ask and headed upstairs. 

Richard helped me with my suitcase and even though he didn’t have more clothes with him he assured me that he would be fine, he would let his clothed dry during the night after having a shower and cleaning them. 

So, after a short cold shower (because the warm water wasn’t working, of course) and a small sandwich that Aidan had prepared for us we headed to sleep, deciding to deal with the problems next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I've started school again and ugh, I hate it. Really, luckily it's my last year and next year, woohooo Univeristy!

The sky was clear blue to my amazement; the entire storm that had been going on last night seemed to have disappeared completely. Richard and I were having breakfast while consulting the town’s phone book to find a taxi but there seemed to be none. We looked around town feeling dejected, my suitcase safe in the Inn where we had slept. Richard was wearing the same clothes, as he had none to spare. 

“What are we going to do now? We don’t have much time to arrive to Dublin…” huffed Richard, sitting down on one of the various benches. The town didn’t have taxis but it surely had millions of benches. The weather, even though sunny, was still wet. I felt clammy and sweaty because of the humidity even though I had taken another shower that morning. 

“Yeah, I know, but I can’t do magic and make a car appear, sorry.” I muttered back with a glare. He just raised his eyebrows. 

“I know you’re upset but it’s not my fault.”

“I’m sorry, I know but…We only have two days, you know?”

“Okay, let’s think, do we know any Irishman other than Aidan?” 

“James!” I exclaimed, alerting two old ladies that were walking at the other side of the street. 

“Oh! Yes! Let’s phone him!” 

I immediately dialed Nesbitt’s number on my phone and crossed my fingers, hoping he would answer. Luckily for us, Jame’s voice appeared on the other side. I shouted and thanked him before explaining him the situation and that we were left stranded in a small town. James was in Dublin but agreed to come and fetch us. He would be there in two hours and a half approximately so we were left with spare time to walk around the town and really appreciate the simple beauty of it. 

I could imagine myself and Aidan living in a small Irish town like that, or maybe in Dublin, his favorite city ever. Aidan always said he would have liked to live in Auckland but I knew he would miss the rain and the wet weather, after all, he truly loved Ireland and I then I knew why: It truly was beautiful. 

James arrived as soon as possible and we quickly made our way towards Dublin, chatting animatedly about my plans there and Richard wanted to buy new clothes as soon as possible. But of course, luck has never been on my side. 

An hour had passed since we had begun our journey and were chatting about James’ car as he didn’t usually use that one. 

“This one is really, really old. It was my father’s before me but we decided to keep it, you know, as a classic. But my wide took my car today as her is in the mechanic and I had to take this one.” James explained, barely looking at the road but there was no one else except for us. 

“And is it safe? I mean…” Richard asked, taking a look at the old radio that barely functioned. 

“Well, we haven’t used it much, just around town, you know? But, yeah I think so.”

And suddenly the car stopped. We all stood there in silence, James staring silently and the steering wheel. He tried staring the car again but nothing worked. My heart was starting to beat faster, my nerves rising. Even Richard looked at me terrified. James nervously tried everything he could and then he jumped out of the car and opened the car’s hood watching inside. 

“Is there something wrong?” Richard asked. 

“Well, do any of you know anything about cars? ‘Cause I don’t.” 

The both of us shook our heads and huffed. I buried my head in my hands and I felt the disappointment kicking in. We were literally in the middle of nowhere and not a single car was to be seen. James groaned and kicked a wheel, groaning in pain when he did it. 

“Now what?” I muttered. They both shrugged and James looked at me with a silent apology. I just smiled slightly and got out of the car. The sky was no longer sunny but grey clouds now were hovering over us. Any moment it would start to rain and we would have no place to go except stay inside the car. 

“Maybe we should phone? You know, the insurance company so…” Richard proposed. James nearly smacked himself for his foolishness. He quickly took out his mobile phone but, oh surprise, there was no signal. 

We started walking, searching for signal but we couldn’t find it. Finally we decided to walk until we at least could see a town. But of course, as I said, we were in the middle of nowhere, not even James knew where we were. 

After three hours of walking the weather was just getting colder and windier, our jackets wrapped tight around our bodied weren’t enough to keep us warm. I, luckily, had taken my suitcase with me when we decided to go in search of a small village so I handed some winter clothes to my friends, even though slight too small for them, they at least warmed them up. 

James was carrying a small bottle of warm water he had had in the car forever but at least we had something to drink. We walked during hours, not a car to be seen, to a soul around us. It was already darkening when we finally sighted the lights of a village. WE nearly run towards it but we were too tired and our feet hurt like hell. 

“Oh! Tipperary!” exclaimed James when we saw the sign that announced what city we were arriving. 

“You know where we are now?” 

“Yeah, I can call my wife and she can pick us up.” 

“It’s too late now,” argued Richard. “and she can’t leave your kids alone. We will manage don’t worry. Let’s just find somewhere to eat or sleep if there isn’t any train or bus soon.” 

The small town was colorful even though it was already dark when we arrived. We soon found a big guesthouse that was open. We smiled when the warmness of the house welcomed us. A big woman with a big smile welcomed us, making us go to the living room and sit across the fire. Certainly, the Irish people were welcoming. 

“But where are your wives, gentlemen? You surely must have them, you’re all very handsome!” exclaimed the woman, preparing cups of tea for us. 

“Mine is home, with the kids. I went to pick them up, you know, and we had a bit of a problem with the car and we had to walk here.” 

“Oh, gods! That’s horrible, you must be very tired. So, you will need beds?” 

“Yes, please, and food if you can.” 

“Well, of course!” We smiled at her kindness but suddenly she turned serious. “Of course you must understand that I can’t let you sleep together in one room, you know, because it would not be right, three men sleeping together, like you were… Homosexual.” She had whispered the last word like it was a taboo. Richard and I exchanged looks and sighed discretely. 

“Of course, we understand, it would be unholy.” I replied, a bit of sarcasm slipping through my lips. The woman didn’t seem to notice it and simply smiled kindly and proceeded to show us our rooms and told us dinner would be ready in an hour. 

I plugged my phone charger and took a warm shower trying to shake the cold off my body. I quickly dried my hair and slipped into some warmer and clean clothes. Richard and James had managed to borrow some t-shirts from the homophobic woman’s husband and were now in their own rooms. 

I looked at my phone screen and my heart leaped when I saw that I had three missed calls from Aidan and two texts. I quickly called him back, my hands twitching nervously. 

“Deano!” he exclaimed when he picked up the phone. His voice warmed my body all over. I smiled softly and couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Hey, Aid. Sorry, I didn’t pick up before, I was having a shower.” 

“Oh, it’s okay! I just thought you would be awake already but I was worried that I would wake you, I know how grumpy you are.” 

Oh hell, in New Zealand it was probably morning already. I feigned a sleepy voice and continued to chat with him. 

“Yeah, well, don’t worry, I was already awake. So, how was your day?” 

“Oh, you know, boring. I did absolutely nothing but hanging with a pair of friends from school and then I just walked around the city. I miss you a lot.” The last part was said with a smooth voice, filled with melancholy. My heart clenched and my eyes watered a bit. 

“I miss you too. A lot. I just… I wish I could be with you right now.” Soon, Dean, soon. 

“Ugh, that would be perfect. It’s so cold here in Ireland and you must be so hot there. I like the cold but… It would be more bearable with you here. You can’t even imagine the weather.” Oh, I sure can. 

“Well, don’t worry. We’ll see each other soon, I promise. This time I will come to Ireland.” I promised, a naughty grin in my face. If he just knew. 

“Really?! Oh, I would love that! I can show you around, Deano, you’ll see, this is beautiful. Maybe you’ll manage to come by St. Patrick’s day? I know it’s just in a few weeks but it would mean a lot to me.” 

“I’ll see what I can do, but yeah, maybe that’ll be possible.” 

“Oh, gosh, I’m so excited! Can’t wait to see you, Deano.” 

“I can’t wait to see you and kiss you, babe. Well… It must be evening there in Ireland, you should have dinner.” 

“Yeah, I will, now. Enjoy your day, Deano. I love you!” 

“Have a good night, love you too!” I made a kissing noise and hung up. I whispered and stared lovingly at the phone in my hand. My phone’s background was a photo of Aidan, smiling as usual, his eyes half-closed. He was so beautiful; I couldn’t wait to see him. My heart had no doubt, he would say yes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you have every right to kill me or do whatever you want with me, because, honestly? I did not think it had passed so many months after I last updated. I did not forget about the story, but my muses don't accompany me lately... They are on holiday in New Zealand probably... Without me T^T  
> Whatever! Next chapter, last chapter!!

I woke up startled by a sudden noise and someone jumping over my bed. I gasped and rubbed my eyes, trying to see what the heck was going on. James was smiling brightly at me and patted my leg, urging me to get up and start getting dressed. I moaned and grunted, but I knew time wasn’t on our side and Leap Day was the next day. 

“Wake up, sunshine. The sun is shining!” James exclaimed, throwing the curtains open. The sun was nowhere to be seen, grey clouds all over the sky. 

“Are you mocking me?” I grunted at him, putting my pants on. He just smiled and left the room. 

Soon we were down to have breakfast, the hosts had prepared a typical Irish breakfast but it was too much for me. I just grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down, staring at nothing in particular. Richard was reading the newspaper with a frown and when I wanted to ask him what happened the woman of the house appeared with yet another plate of food. 

“But you barely eat! Come one! You are still young!” James and Richard looked significantly at each other with a raised eyebrow and I just scoffed, hiding my grin behind my mug. 

“Ahm, is there any train or bus to Dublin here, by any chance?” 

“Oh, no, sorry. Not in this town right now, it’s hard during this dates because a lot of roads and flooded around here. But there is a bus service to Dublin in the town next to Tipperary!” 

“Good, we will go there.” I smiled kindly at her and sipped my coffee. 

“Oh, but you mustn’t today! It’s going to rain cats and dogs, they said it on the TV!”

“We can’t wait, sorry. I must be there tomorrow.” I answered with a shrug. 

“Oh, tomorrow, why?” The woman asked, full of curiosity. I raised my eyes from the table and suddenly I could feel my face start to redden. There was no way I could tell that woman why I was going to Dublin on Leap Day. Richard and James were grinning widely behind their mugs of coffee and tea. I cursed under my breath and sighed. 

“Well, I’ve got a… A meeting.” 

“Oh, but with that accent! You must be from far!” exclaimed the woman. “And there is no doubt you are Irish,” she said referring to James. “and you are from England, am I wrong?” 

“No, ma’am.” Answered Richard, polite as ever. 

“I’m from New Zealand and I’m a… We’re doctors and we are friends, we are going to a medical meeting in Dublin but we had some problems with our arrival here…” 

“Oh, I see, I see, well, I don’t wanna bother you with my questions!” 

After paying her we started planning on how to get to the next town without getting soaked as we could see a new storm approaching. The woman listened to us carefully while we talked with each other. 

“I firmly think that you should stay here… But as you can’t apparently… Well, I could give you some umbrellas.” She offered kindly, grabbing three umbrellas. We thanked her smiling and when we were leaving James turned around for a moment and raised a finger. 

“Wait, you wouldn’t happen to have a car?” asked the Irishman to the woman. 

“Oh, yes, of course we do!” 

“Maybe you could drive us to Dublin! We would pay you!” I exclaimed, suddenly feeling hopeful. 

“Oh, no, no sorry, impossible.” 

“Why?” the three of us asked. 

“Well, my husband has gone to buy groceries for the whole week and he won’t be here until late.” 

“And why is that?” 

“Well, he is in Dublin.” 

The three of us stared at each other, the sudden urge of punching the woman overcoming us. I sighed loudly and left without a word, stomping on the ground while walking towards the main road. Richard and James followed me and together we started our walk towards the next town, praying there would be a bus service there. 

Not long after we started walking the rain also started falling. With a grim face we continued walking, our shoes and trousers soaked and I could feel my hair curling more and more as we walked under the rain. I hated it. I hated Ireland. I would not go there anymore, not even if my Irishman begged for me to go. 

After two hours of walking we arrived at the next town and luckily there was a bus but we would have to wait until later and it would arrive at Dublin around eleven so all the shops would be closed, no way I could buy a ring before tomorrow. Richard, James and I sat down in a Café, staring at the people walking down the streets while we waited for the hours to pass. 

“Gosh, this is boring, why did I even agree to do this?” James moaned, rubbing his eyes. Richard chuckled and shook his head. 

“Didn’t have much of a choice, did you? You would have felt bad, leaving your two friends alone without anybody to bring them to Dublin.” I joked, stirring my coffee cup. James laughed mockingly at me and shook his head. 

After hours and hours of waiting we were finally inside the bus that would take me (us) to my final destination.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as the snow covers my fallen brothers I will say this last goodbye... WELLLLL my friends, we've come to the end... Yup, the final chapter. Who has seen the third movie alreadY? I have! And guess what? It broke my heart :'D. 
> 
> I am really happy with this last chapter. I know Aidan barely appears in this fanfic but fucking hell, it is all about him! And he is mentioned in every chapter so. 
> 
> By the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL CUTIES! :D

Of course, the weather in Dublin was terrible. The rain was down pouring and before we managed to get to the nearest hotel we were already soaked to the bone. It was very very late, and the hotel manager was a bit distracted with our apparition. And a bit angry that we were flooding his main hall. He quickly dispatched us to our rooms and fussed over the water poodle we would leave on our way towards there. Well, it is not like it was OUR fault, better blame Ireland and his hate towards me. 

I finished showering and drying myself around an hour past midnight and was utterly exhausted. We had agreed that we would sleep until nine o’clock, to barely make it to breakfast and then on our way to buy a ring for Aidan. But in my mind I did not think about all the problems I would probably have to find a suitable ring for the Irishman, I just prayed that the rain would have stopped by morning. 

Of course, no such look. It was the thunder that woke me up at half past eight, a sudden light shooting through the windows. I gasped and grunted angrily, stomping towards to bathroom to take care of my human needs. Half an hour later James, Richard and I were speaking over our breakfast. 

“One day, we will remember this and we will laugh.” James said with a grin, munching his toast. 

“Today is not the day.” I muttered. 

“Oh come on, Dean, we are already here, don’t be so grumpy.” Richard said elbowing me in the side with a smile. I just smirked ironically at him and elbowed him back, making him spit his orange juice. James burst out laughing, alerting the few tourists that were still having breakfast. I couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the Englishman covered in orange juice, his chin dripping. The always so stuck out Richard was even grinning! 

“I will get back to you, Kiwi.” He threatened, pointing at me with his finger, trying to wipe the juice of his face and shirt. “And before even buying the ring, we are going to buy clothes, because I am tired of wearing the same. We probably smell.” 

“Probably? Most likely we do!” James continued laughing merrily. 

Buying the ring (after, of course, buying clothes and changing) was even harder that I thought. None of the ones I saw seemed suitable for Aidan. That one was too feminine, that one was too simple, too flashy, too gold-y…. And the list went on and on. Richard and James even began to make a list of my newly invented adjectives for the rings. 

Most of the jewelers in Dublin hated me (most likely) and the ones who didn’t were annoyed with me because I hadn’t even bothered to ask the price of the too horrible rings. It wasn’t until much much later, after we had had lunch and I was already starting to freak out that I found the perfect ring. And it was in a book. A book about a romance in one of the several islands of Ireland and in the cover of the book a ring with two hands holding heart with a crown was displayed. I grabbed the book and read the back cover but no idea what that ring was. 

“James, that ring… It looks familiar. Is it…?” I asked but the Irishman eyes had lit up like lights during Christmas. 

“Oh! Fáinne Cladaigh! The Claddagh ring! Oh yes, yes, very typically Irish. It has a story you know, I could explain it to you but I don’t remember it myself. My daughters pester me with it sometimes but I only remember that the hands represent friendship, the heart love and the crown loyalty.” 

“Oh… How rare… It is typically Irish but, I don’t reckon seeing it in any of the jewelries.” 

“Well, they wouldn’t show it to you, of course, it is not a, well, normal ring for an engagement you know? It’s even more of souvenir than anything else… Some families have it, passing from generation to generation but otherwise…” 

“I want that ring. For Aidan. That ring is perfect, it represents our relationship, I want it.” I stated, putting the book back in the shelf and walking out of the library, grabbing Richard on the way. 

“Dean, you do realize that it’s more of a girl’s ring that a man…?” James said with a lopsided smile. 

“I don’t care, I want that ring, I’ll have that ring.” 

So, that way began our pursue of the so famous Claddagh ring. And of course, being an Irish typical thing we did not have trouble finding it. Yet, we did have trouble finding one for Aidan, because most of the rings ready for the day were too small, fit for a girl’s hand, not a man, and I could not wait a day. 

The three of us went from jewelry to jewelry, asking for the ring and the correct size but none had it. The sky was darkening, it was nearly six o’clock and the shop would close soon and probably I would find no place in any good restaurant, and gosh, Aidan still didn’t even know I was in Dublin. Probably he had plans. Maybe he wasn’t even in Dublin! 

Just as I began hyperventilating Richard came from the jewelry he had been asking for the ring with a smile. 

“They have it! They have it! It is not cheap, but they have it!” He shouted, beckoning us to go. I jumped up and run towards the shop. The woman in the shop smiled at me when I entered and claimed it was me who wanted it. 

“Oh, my, who’s the lucky lass with large hands?” The woman giggled while he was giving me my change. I smiled brightly. 

“Lucky lad most likely, that’s the reason of the big size. Well, thank you so much, you saved my night!” I did not realize how shocked I had left her until Richard and James told me later while they still laughed rather loudly about it. 

Now, the restaurant. It was a bit tricky to find the best restaurant in the city. While we were buying clothed, I realized I did not have clothed elegant enough for the night I had planned so I let Richard choose me one of the best suits in the store. James went asking from person to person and from shop to shop which one was the best restaurant in town. All the people said the same restaurant but to my perfect luck, it was full. 

Rain was still falling lightly, not enough to soak but enough to annoy me. My clothes were getting a bit wet after walking all the day from shop to shop. Finally, at seven o’clock, I managed to book a table for two for an hour later in a good enough restaurant. 

James was the one to send him the message, saying that he was in town and wanted to have dinner with him. (PD: And dress nicely ;) ) It didn’t sound suspicious, after all, James had a wife and three girls, so, there was no way he was asking Aidan out on a date, right?

Thankfully, my Irishman had no plans for the night and agreed to it. We went to the hotel so I would be able to change and half an hour before eight, the three of us were in the lifter, Richard and James trying to calm down my nervousness, telling me that everything would go smooth. Oh, boy, it wouldn’t. There was a rattle and a strange sound and suddenly the lift stopped and we were lightless. 

“You have to be kidding me.” Richard was the one who spoke first and then it was like a bomb. I don’t recall exactly what I shouted, but boy did I shout. I said all kinds of nice things to the hotel managers and their mothers but, hopefully, they weren’t able to hear me. 

“Sorry, ahm, how many of you are in there?” a voice through the interphone asked us. 

“Three, and you have to let us out quickly, ‘cause we are in a bit of a hurry.” Richard said as nicely as possible. 

“We are calling the technicians, they should be here shortly. We are sorry for the trouble, sire, we will discount you one night at the hotel for the problems.” 

“Like that will solve it.” I grumbled morosely. 

The minutes were ticking away and the technicians didn’t arrive until eight o’clock. And I bet they chatted merrily with the hotel manager a good ten minutes before doing their work. I was freaking out by then, my palms sweating, my bile raising and I was hyperventilating. James just watched the scene while Richard tried to calm me and my yelling. And, guess what? There was no network coverage in that freaking lift. 

It wasn’t until twenty minutes to nine that the stupid technicians managed to make the lifter function again. We cursed them as we ran out of the hotel to grab the nearest taxi there. James called Aidan, who was pretty annoyed, yet still waiting at the restaurant. I was so lucky that my Irishman was good-hearted above all. 

“Aidan, sorry, we had a bit of a problem.” James said with a grim face, while I gave the indications to the taxi driver. 

“We?” 

“Yes, yes, we will explain. See you know.” 

Nothing more horrible could happen, right? Guess again. The street the restaurant was in was closed to transit for some stupid fair, so, we had to get out of the taxi in the midst of the rain and run towards the restaurant. Of course, when I arrived there I was wet as a drowned rat. 

“Ah, excuse me, sir, you can’t enter with your clothed like that…” A boy in the doorway tried to stop me from entering but my glare must have scared me because he quickly opened the door and let us in. I didn’t even ask for the table, I just scanned the room quickly and there he was, cute and handsome as ever, staring mindlessly at the phone while he waited in the table. His curls were even wilder than normal, that’s why he always complained of the humidity but the truth was he didn’t even bother to tame them. 

I smiled, a surge of adrenalin going through me like a lightning bolt. I stomped towards the table and then he noticed me. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened, gaping like a fish before smiling brightly. 

“Oh, my god, Deano! What… What are you doing here? Weren’t you in New Zealand?” 

“Shut up.” I demanded him, and his smile left is mouth instantly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so angry but… Gosh, let me talk, okay? Because I went through hell and back to be here today. Because, you know, today is Leap day, you know? And there is this tradition here in Ireland, ⎯c your country that, by the way, hates me ⎯ that a woman can ask the man’s hand in marriage once every four years, in leap day and, well, I know I am not a woman but I missed you and, I thought about it and I also reckon it is a romantic tradition so, well, I love you and, hell, I am so lonely in New Zealand without you, I hate to be without you and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, here with the rain or wherever you want, because it doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.” I had been rambling so fast, tripping over my own words that I doubted Aidan had even understood half of the things I had said. And, oh, the whole restaurant was looking at the soaked men that had kneeled in front of the curly-haired men and was holding a velvety box.

“What I mean with all this is that…. Aidan Turner, will you marry me?” 

And with trembling hands I opened the box and the Claddagh ring glinted with the lights. Aidan was stunned beyond speech. He was looking at the ring, his mouth agape and his hands still as ice. I interpreted that as a OH HELL NO! I stood up and closed the box swaying on my feet. 

“Gosh, I am sorry, that was so embarrassing I-“ 

“YES!” And then I had an armful of Irishman and the people around us started to clap and well… I couldn’t even believe it. Why did I start to cry? Well, I wondered why too. All I knew is that I was a weeping mess and that Aidan was crying too and that James and Richard were holding their laugh, paying the restaurant manager the watery mess I had made. 

As I grabbed Aidan’s face and kissed him after sliding the ring in his finger I thought that, well, James was right. One day we would be laughing about our own little adventure. After all, it hadn’t been so horrible, and for my Irishman I would go through the rain and back. Because, let’s face it, rain is probably more horrible than hell.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave kudos and comments!


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